1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of human proteins which are expressed by neoplastic tissues and not by most normal tissues.
2. Summary of Related Art
Some carcinoma cells are slow to grow, resulting in tumors that do not pose severe short term risk to a patient having such cells. For instance, many prostate cancers progress so slowly that they are only detected after the patient dies from another cause. Such carcinomas are safely left untreated. Other carcinomas metastasize and grow rapidly, resulting in death of the patient. Any treatment that can slow down the growth of these latter, more virulent carcinomas is desired.
At the time of diagnosis, at least 25 percent of patients with early breast cancer have clinically undetectable metastases. If patients with this status could be identified at the time of diagnosis, one could apply early, intensive chemotherapy to women with clinically occult systemic breast cancer. Conversely, toxic and expensive treatment may be delayed or withheld from patients with favorable prognosis. Traditional associations between the histopathological features and clinical course of the disorder cannot be used to differentiate between clinically aggressive and clinically indolent disease (Hunter, Cancer, 1980, 46:Suppl. 4:961-76). In contrast, several recent studies have demonstrated a relation between changes in oncogenes and prognosis. For example, in some studies, amplification of the HER-2/neu oncogene in patients with breast cancer correlated with overall survival and the disease-free interval between primary therapy and relapse (Slamon, et al., Science, 1987, 235:177-82; Varley, et al., Oncogene, 1987, 1:423-30; and van de Vijver, et al., N. Engl. J. Med., 1988, 319:1239-45). Similarly, changes in both c-myc and c-myb are often identified in aggressive breast cancers (Yokota, et al., Science, 1986, 231:261-5), as is the loss of c-Ha-ras alleles (Theillet, et al., Cancer Rest, 1986, 46:4776-81). The molecular genetic approach is promising both clinically, as a potential diagnostic and prognostic aid, and scientifically, as a means to explore the biology of neoplasia.